Multiload range weighing system for materials testing machines



Aug. 24, 1948. A. SONNTAG 2,447,778

MULTILOAD RANGE WEIGHING SYSTEM FOR 7 MATERIALS TESTING MACHINES Original Filed June 19. 1945 2 SheetsSheet 2 IIIIIII.

T ina- E- Patented Aug. 24, 1948 MULT-IIDAD RANGE WEIGHING -SYSTEM FOR MATERIALS TESTING MACHINES Alfred Sonntag, Greenwicm- C onn assignor,

mesne assignments, to The Baldwin Locomotive Works, acorporation of Pennsylvania Originabappllcation June 1 9; 1945, 'Seriat No. 600,320; Divided. andthis application Novemlier -9.-:194c-, Serial No. 708,982

2 claims. (or 73-95) This invention relates generally to a load weighing apparatus andmore particularly to an improved multi-load rangeweighing apparatus andsystem for materials testinglmachines. 'Ifhis application is a division-of my co-pendingapplis cation Serial. No. 600,320, filed June 19, 1945.

An object of my invention is to provide anim proved multi-load range weighing apparatus and system whereby a plurality of load weighing ranges may be obtained in a'simple, direct and highly expeditious manner. In accomplishing this object I have provided, in one aspect of the invention, a plurality of stationary knife edge seats and thenemploy asimilar number of greaterspaced knife edges on a weighin beam which is shiftable in a simple manner to bring one or the other of the knife edges into cooperation with a selected seat thereby changing the load weighing ratios. I

Other objects and advantages will be more apparent to those skilled in the art from the foland: connects the upperends of the side channels while a series of tie;bolts 5,;Fig.,1, hold these. elements rigidly together which, if desired,..may besupplemented by welding at any desired joints.

2 A hydraulic loadingmechanism includes. acylin-der 6 clamped to the base-by a series ofprods extending through a plate type cylinder head Bgwhich may be, provided with. suitable packing;

(not shown) for a piston rod 9 actuated by. a piston l0. Fluid pressure fromv any suitable source (not shown) is supplied to the top side of piston l0 (the lower side then being open to 6X:- haustl to transmit a loadin force to a, loading head ll which is. vertically movable. Thehea-d containsa lower set oftension grips. l2 disposed at the forward sidethereof-inaplane wellinad.-

' vanceof the front edge l3 of the side channels lowing description of the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective of my multi-load range weighing apparatus and system,.showing it in'po sition at the rear of a materials testing machine of the type which is the subject of my said copending application;

. Fig. 2 is a vertical side section through the center of said'testingmachine, the front eithe machine being tothe left; Fig. 3. is a fragmentary side elevation of the shiitable lever knife edgesystem;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of Fig. 3;

Fig. S is a view taken from the rightend of.

Fig. 3 with partsbroken away toshow details of construction;

Figs. 6 and '7 are transverse sections taken respectively substantially on the lines 6-6 and 1--6 of Fig. 3.

In the particularembodiment of the invention plate 3. An upper plate 4; Fig: 2, is seatedupon thereby providing maximum accessibility .to the grips and specimenalthough involving an offset or. eccentric relation of the loading ram withrespect to the position of. the specimen axis relative to the loading head It, Howeven thisais over come in ane'fiective manner by securing the load: ing. head l.l,through welding or bolts, to-arelat'ively. long verticalmomentarm M, which is adapted. to extend in overlapping relation tosubstantially the full length of cylinder 6 when the headisin itslowermost position. The lower end.

of arm I4,.Fig. 2, is a relativel narrow but deep member. to which is removably secured at its lowerinostend a cross guide I 5. This guide slides on tworeces'sed vertical guideways l6,,machined in the flanges of channels I and 2. The lateral edges'of head H are slidable on a pair of vertica'l. guideways 19, Fig. 2, machined in the front flanges'of the channels. A nominalretainer bar. 20imay be secured to the upper end of arm 14 and slidable in the ,rear grooves 16. A specimen (not thown) whoseposition or 1on gitudinal, axis is indicated by a line with the legend jTejn'sio'n specimen in Fig. 2, has its up perend secured in a pair of grips 2| disposedin a sensitive weighing head 22,, this headand the platen ll constituting opposed specimen engagingmembers. The head 22 is supported through;

a rod. "23, coaxial with the specimen axis, to a lever24 supported on laterally disposed knife. edgesZB and stationary rests. The. head 22 also has-knife edge contact 26 with a lever 21 which in turn is connected through a knife edge to raj vertical link 28' extending down to my, improved multi load .range shifting mechanism, generally indicated at- 29 who described later.

Incineration, the platen" ll may be raised to any desired position depending upon the-length 3 of specimen by supplying fluid to the underside of piston Ill and exhausting fluid from the upper side thereof whereas, during loading, fluid is supplied to th'e'upper side of pistoni lll and exhausted on the lower side thereof for either tension or compression testing. In either case the loading force on platen II to the specimen tends to cause eccentric forces to be created in the platen and loading mechanism but this is counteracted by reason of front guides exerting a force to the right, as indicated by arrow A, Fig. 2, whereas guides l 5 exert a force to the left as indicated by arrow R respectively constituting action and reaction forces which are maintained relatively small by reason of the relativel long moment arm represented approximately by the distance M, Fig. 2.

Compression specimens are placed between the lower side 30 of head II and a platen 3! which is secured by a pair of rods 32 to the weighing head H .22, Fig. 2. Hence, during downward compression testing the load to be weighed is transmitted to head 22 which then functions in identically the same manner as during the tension test. The platen or table 3| may be notched as at 33 to receive the rods 32, and can also be notched as .at 34 to allow piston rod 9 to extend freely upwardly.

In my multi-loa'd weighing system the link 28, 'Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 5, terminates at its lower end .in'a clevice 35 provided with a knife edge pin type support 36 bearing upwardly against a knife edge 31 which is secured in a longitudinally shiftable lever 38. This lever as shown in Fig. 5 lies within the clevice 35 and'as shown in Fig. 3 extends any desired distance to the left for ultimate connec- 'tion to a load weighing or indicating device of any usual and well-known type involving either springs or a pendulum. Inasmuch as such devices are well-known in the art they need not be shown or described herein due to the fact that my particular improvement resides in the mechanism for selecting the load range. To this end the lever 38 has a dependent extension 39 clamped to the lever by a pair of bolts 40 and cross piece 4|, the lower end of the bolts being preferably threaded into the member 39, as shown in Fig. 7. The member 39 has a plurality of knife edges 42 time knife edge 42 is substantially in the position shown in dotted lines at 42'. When link 28 is released and allowed to move upwardly, which will occur by reason of the weight ofhjeads 22 and platen 3| and their connected parts, the knife edge 42 will engage supports 48 whereupon the weighing system involves a multiplying lever arm and 43 which, Fig. 6, extend laterally to engage knife edge supports 44, 44, respectfully secured .to a pair of parallel stationary sides 45 and 46. These sides are held in position on base 3, Figs. 3 and 7, by a pair of screws on one side and a similar pair of screws 41 on the other side. The other end of the stationary elements 45 and 46 have a pair of transversely aligned knife edge supports 48. The knife edge supports 44 and 48 are mounted in overhanging ends such as 49 andare v spaced apart a greater distance than the knife ratio, the operator grasps link 28 and pulls downwardly thereon to completely free knife edge 43 from its support 44 and then shifts link 28, together with lever 38, to the left until the laterally extending wings of knife edge 44 substantially abut against the vertical surface 50 of the stationary side plates 45 and'46. This position of knife edge 43 is shown at 43, Fig. 3, and at this shifted laterally.

equal to the distance between knife edges 31 and 42. When the knife edge 42 is seated .the extend ing wings of knife edge 43 will move slightly away from edge 50, Fig. 3, so as to allow complete pivotal freedom of lever 38 about knife edge supports 48. The multiple pivotal points are compactly arranged and are adapted to be supported directly upon base plate 3, as shown in Fig. 2. It is also apparent that the knife edges and their supports may be revised.

It is thus seen that an extremely simple, rugged and easily shiftable multi-load range weighing system has been provided.

It will of course be understood that various changes in details of construction and arrangement of parts may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim: I

1. A materials testing machine comprising, in combination, a pair of opposed specimen engaging members, load producing mechanism connected to one of said specimen engaging members for loading a specimen, and a multi-load range weighing system connected to the other specimen engaging member including a weighing lever, a set of knife edges spaced apart lengthwise of said lever and a set of knife edge supports spaced apart lengthwise of said lever, one of said sets being connected to said lever for movement therewith and the other set being mounted in a relatively fixed position, and said knife edge supports being spaced apart a different distance than said knife edges whereby relative movement between said lever and supports in a direction lengthwise of the lever allows one or the other of said knife edges to be selectively positioned against a knife edge support thereby to provide different load ranges.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1 further characterized in that a weighing link is operatively connected to said other specimen engaging member and extends vertically downward for pivotal engagement with said lever, and said knife edges are arranged to exert an upward force against their supports whereby in order to render one or the other of said knife edges operative the link is moved downwardly and then ALFRED SONNTAG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 150,115 Weston et a1. Apr. 21, 1874 217,734 Olsen Feb. 25, 1879 875,730 Olsen June 7, 1908 1,758,036. Hallwood May 13, 1930 1,798,949 Moran Mar. 31, 1931 2,055,787 Dinzl Sept. 29, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 16,763 Great Britain 1886 

